Renowned missionary believes Russia can lead globalization on its own conditions

Moscow, January 28, Interfax - Renowned Orthodox missionary, head of the Information and Publishing Directorate of the Synodal Youth Department Hieromonk Dimitry (Pershin) believes Russia has all opportunities to become a leader in the epoch of globalization.

"Russia has something to say in the epoch of globalization. We can conduct globalization on our conditions as in fact globalization is a market of ideas, a market of values and we have something to offer," he said in his interview with Interfax-Religion.

According to him, it is not be chance that two thirds of visitors in the Tretyakov Gallery are Japanese, Chinese, English, Europeans and Americans and better part of guided tours go to icon halls. "The entire world comes here to see the beauty of Russian Orthodoxy, Russian Christianity. I think if with the help of progress more Internet users will see this beauty then there's a chance that Russian spiritual culture will represent Christianity," the priest said.

He believes that the 20th century was a century of "successful Orthodox mission, especially Russian Orthodoxy, as thanks to emigration Russian spiritual culture became heritage of the whole world."

Father Dimitry said that today Rublyov's Trinity "witness to Christ among Protestants, Catholics, in all continents" and without knowledge of Russian theologians Vladimir Lossky, Father John Meyendorff, Father Alexander Men, Father Georges Florovsky "it's impossible to get a diploma in any Catholic and in majority of Protestant seminaries and universities."

The priest pointed out that films about Russian Orthodox shrines and saints "attract attention as there a person finds answers on the most important questions," and "until a person will ask these question and he will ask them till the end of times, mission will have a chance for success."

"Once Apostle Paul used his knowledge of Greek philosophers and mythology to speak to the Areopagus. It also was globalization, he passed beyond the limits of Jewish tradition and went to absolutely different people, of different culture and some of his listeners later became Christians," the priest said.

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